It seems like the only type of tripod worth mentioning and buying is carbon fibre. What's wrong with a solid & well built Al / alloy tripod if you don't need to travel with it everywhere?
I bought a Benro A3580F four months ago and couldn't be happier. It's well priced, stable and very light. The difference in weight to carbon fibre seems negligible too. I have now kissed Manfrotto goodbye, perhaps forever.
I recently bought an Induro tripod and so far I like it really well. It seems very well made and nicely finished. It has 'twist lock' mechanisms on the legs which I like better than lever-type leg locks. Since I bought one of the smaller models, I couldn't justify (for myself) spending the extra money on the carbon-fiber model.
So far the Induro AT313 seems interesting. It has a reasonable height with center column retracted at 62" (don't want use it the extended the center column).
The lowest it can go is 7". Not overly heavy and good weight capacity.
Looks like a solid performer for indoor and out.
Does anyone have any experience with Induro? Are they cheap Chinese made tripods like Benro seems to have a bad rep for?
Induro and Benro are the same, but they have improved vastly the past year or so.
Actually, Induro has come up with their own unique products not available from Benro or anyone else so I guess they are trying to be a separate entity now.
there is nothing wrong with alloy tripods as long as you understand their usability and you. there is no reason in reality to use a CF tripod in a studio type situation or when no distance carrying involved.
you also have the Manfrotto line of tripods to look into.
the induro line of tripods was specifically brought out to be a seperate design, build (different manufacturing facility) and distribution network from benro from day one.
I have a Slik 700DX that is pretty good. I pulled the head and put a used Arca BH-1 ball head on it and I like it much much better now. Lever locks are ok for me, and the center column can be split, so I usually only run it with half a center column to keep me from being tempted to go too high and lose stability.
I own a Induro AT313 with Induro BHS2 for about a year now, and I have to say the stability is EXCELLENT especially for its price point and I love the extension of up to 175cm, which should be enough for anyone. It appears to be quite alot more stable than Manfrotto 055, and Induro's twist-to-unlock leg makes it much easier to use in my experience.
Only thing that bothers me about AT313 is its weight, but as you said you won't travel everywhere with it, shouldn't be a problem for you.
But I do advise against Induro BHS ballheads as it seems to creep a little when you tighten it at first, even with 5D II with Tamron 70-300 VC which isn't exactly that heavy.
